Outdoor classrooms can come in all shapes and sizes with variants for school needs and budgets. The Hideout House Company offer a truly comprehensive and diverse range of these type of playground buildings which take in octagonal, rectangular and square designs and which can be “themed” too – we have outdoor classrooms for special educational needs (SEN), eco classrooms where the building itself becomes a natural learning resource and forest school settings. Our buildings are manufactured out of cedar wood which has numerous benefits over traditional timbers (such as pine) including the fact that they are virtually maintenance free and do not require any on-going maintenance or further treatment once installed and they will last longer.

Outdoor classrooms are very popular in schools as they encourage learning outside of the classroom and teach children about the natural environment – that it is the reason we have options such as sedum living roofs, water butt and guttering systems for rainwater harvesting, educational renewable energy systems such as mini wind turbine/solar panel/energy monitoring board and power units including a datalogger, in-built planters and mini eco ponds. For the building itself, we can add in wall panels, louvre opening and closing panels for the window apertures, benching, decking floor with non-slip decking, ramps, steps and trellis panelling.

And in certain instances, we are able to help with funding for these type of outdoor classrooms.slider8

Answers to FAQs on Outdoor Classrooms

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We frequently get asked about certain information relating to our outdoor classrooms so we thought that we would provide answers to the most common ones below:

  1. What size do I need? The answer to this is usually driven by three mitigating factors – how many children are you wanting to accommodate in the building; will it fit in the area you have designated at the school and somewhat crucially nowadays, what is the overall budget in mind? But as a general rule of thumb, if you are looking to cater for a class of 30 children, then a 5m octagonal or 5 x 4m rectangular outdoor classroom would suffice. A smaller 4m octagonal would fit 22 children. This is assuming you are a primary school as nurseries could probably fit in more children to these above sizes.
  2. Does it need to have a base? If we are siting the outdoor classroom onto an existing hard surface (such as tarmac, concrete, patio slabs etc), then typically it doesn’t require a supporting base. If however we are going to be siting onto grass or an uneven area, then yes the building will require a base. This can be done by either having a timber sub-frame base, concrete pads or ground screw fixing systems. We can advise on this after having conducted a site survey when we can ascertain the ground conditions and levels.
  3. Does the building need insulation? This question really only relates to our enclosed outdoor classrooms and not our open sided gazebos. We do offer classrooms with insulation options but we really only advise going to this extra cost if you are intending on heating the building. But remember too that insulation keeps heat in and keeps heat out as well so in the warmer summer months, the inside temperature is not too oppressive. For some of our buildings, we do offer cedar external cladding and cedar shingle tiles for the roof because cedar has the highest natural insulating properties of all softwoods
  4. How long does it take to install? The answer to this question is very much dependent upon the specification of the outdoor classroom we would be supplying to the school but in the main, an outdoor classroom gazebo would be installed within a couple of days and the larger enclosed versions would take an average of a week on site. Our pods however can be installed within a couple of hours as they are pre-manufactured units which are delivered to site on the back of a truck and either craned into position or fork lifted.
  5. What guarantees do you give? One year guarantee against faulty workmanship and materials and 15 years against timber rot, degradation or decay on the cedar and 10 years on the redwood pine
  6. What are the roof options? On our rectangular outdoor classrooms, you can either have a hipped roof with either felt or cedar shingle tiles (which is the most common) or a mono pitch pent roof. For our gazebos, we offer a choice of options for the roof coverings – these are felt shingle tiles (available in three different colours), cedar shingle tiles or a marine grade canvas (available in different colours). In some instances, we have supplied roofs with the very eco friendly sedum but these do tend to be quite a bit more expensive
  7. Do I need planning permission? On our blog site, we have answered this question in some quite expansive detail but if you have any questions, do let us know as it is one of the most frequently asked questions
  8. Do I need building regs? For the majority of our outdoor classroom range, the answer is no
  9. Do you offer any promotional support? Yes we do. We run a couple of programmes on this – one being our customer referral system whereby we will commission your school or PTA if you recommend us to another school and a sale ensues. Or if your school can feature our product on your website with a reference to our company, then we will offer a discount on the sale price.
  10. Can you do site visits? Most emphatically yes. We will always want to do this anyway before a sale is committed to as we need to undertake a site survey of the area. But we also obviously like to meet with the school staff and school councils to talk through the various options and get a better idea as to what is the best solution
  11. What options do you offer? We like to think that we offer the most comprehensive range of additional options – these range from renewable energy systems including wind, solar and pedal power, upper side panels, water butt and roof guttering. For the enclosed range, options include French for bi-fold doors, insulation and atrium roof. More information can be seen on the link below
  12. optional extras
  13. Can you offer advice on funding? Again very much so. We have put together our own comprehensive funding guide for schools (which includes details on grants, corporate sponsorship & donations, how to rent out existing school facilities plus crowdfunding details too) if you wanted to look at sourcing and applying for funds yourself…or we can put you in touch with funding consultants who specialise in the educational sector. We also run a blog on funding issues for schools which I have copied you in on the link:https://www.hideouthouse.com/category/funding/

    For further information on the outdoor classroom range from the Hideout House Company, please contact us on 01832 275902 or email: info@hideouthouse.com

School takes delivery of 5 Outdoor Classroom Pods

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Last year Castle Primary School in Northampton ordered one of our outdoor classroom pods to be used as an outdoor learning/library hub. The unique pod – with its distinctive features of a green round Hobbit style circular door and arched roof – was an immediate success with both teachers and children alike.

So much so that at the beginning of this year, the school ordered four more pods which were delivered last week and this time, all in different colours (purple, yellow, blue and red). They have been sited in different parts of the school grounds to allow for variety and they shall each be used for a different reason.

The outdoor classroom pods are pre-manufactured mobile units which are built entirely in the factory and are then delivered to the school on the back of a special transport truck. It is also now possible to get two pods onto one truck thereby saving on cost. At the school, they are then manoeuvred into position either by the use of a hi-ab crane or with a special fork lift truck. And for this particular job, we used a new ground screw foundation fixing system as all the pods were going onto grass and therefore needed some kind of base to sit upon. Each pod is therefore supported by 8 ground screws (each ground screw can support of a tonne of weight).

All four ground screw foundations were installed over half term within half a day. The pods were delivered the following week where we arrived at 9am and by 11am (in time for the first playground break time), we were gone with all four pods in position and ready to use. As you can imagine, the children were somewhat excited by this new development! So minimal disruption time for a school. To compare this to other methods, to put down a concrete base and allowing for cure times would take three days. To build a pod on site (as opposed to it being delivered pre-manufactured) would take another three days. Doing it this way, each pod with foundations takes just half a day on site.

There are other options in the range to have insulation and an electrics package which includes some double sockets, lights and a wall mounted heater for those schools wanting to use all year round at all times of day.

For further information, please contact the Hideout House Company on 01832 275902 or email: info@hideouthouse.com

In red

 

New Fire Pit Shelter with Canvas Roof

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outdoor shelters for schools

outdoor fire pit shelter

We have a lot of enquiries from schools who run forest school programmes and who are looking to provide for some kind of shelter for the children but usually it is a request to cover an existing fire pit area. The schools want to have the facility of being able to light fires outdoors but with some sort of protection from the elements.

We do offer a current range of fire pit shelters & outdoor classrooms which are manufactured out of timber for this exact purpose and which have a special two tier roof (with a hole cut into the top of the roof) to allow the smoke to exhaust out through the roof. The roof underside of these timber shelters is also applied with two coats of an intumescent varnish paint which acts as a flame retardant.

However, we are now able to offer these fire pit shelters with a cheaper alternative using a more cost efficient canvas roof but these differ from our standard canvas shelters in that the canvas used is a special flame retardant canvas. The canvas is available in seven colours as well (cream, sand, silver, red, blue, green and black) and the other great advantage is that you can have roll-down canvas panels made of the same flame retardant material to allow for extra protection from the elements. These full length canvas panels can be applied to as many sides as you like – so if needs be you could completely enclose the shelter.

Our services allow for delivery and installation nationwide.

For more information, please contact the Hideout House Company on 01832 275902 or email: info@hideouthouse.com

Multi Faceted Canvas Shade Canopies for Schools

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outdoor shelters with canvas roof

20m x 5m modular canvas shelters

Schools always need to provide for some shade and shelter from the UK’s ever changing elements and the products they can buy or use range from literally hanging up a tarpaulin sheet right over to the more grandiose shade sails.

But true to form, we at the Hideout House Company always like to innovate when it comes to designing products and that is why we have now added a range of new options to our ever popular outdoor shelters with a canvas roof.

As these canopies/shelters come in a square format (as opposed to triangular like shade sails suspended from posts), they provide for a greater surface area and can therefore offer more protection from the sun, wind and rain. And rather than just being a shelter, they can also be an outdoor learning classroom if  you were to include the various options we list below.

The canvas we use is a marine grade PU coated canvas which comes in a range of colours so that a school can choose its own school colour from the range. A point to note here though is that the darker the colour, the higher the UV protection.

These are the options a school can now choose from:

  • There are three standard sizes to choose from – 3m, 4m or 5m square
  • A choice of colours for the canvas roof – green, red, blue, maroon and vanilla
  • Modular systems so that you can join the canopy shelters together if you need to cover a bigger surface area (there is a PVC guttering that runs down the middle between two adjoining shelters)
  • Timber decked floor and sub-frame base (especially useful for those installations on grass)
  • Benching/seating
  • Side panels
  • Easy to use, full length roll-down canvas panels (excellent for providing further protection as you can literally totally enclose the whole shelter)
  • Trellis panels

These shelters are really easy to install and canvas is typically cheaper than a timber roof. So an ideal product when budgets are still tight for schools.

For further information on our range of outdoor shelters and canopies, please visit our website www.hideouthouse.com or email us info@hideouthouse.com

square outdoor classroom with decked floor and benching

 

 

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School Grant For Healthy Living, Mental Wellbeing and Physical Activity

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We were recently approached by a school in Lincolnshire who informed us of a new capital grant which has become available for a minimum of ten thousand pounds and which has to promote key areas including healthy living, mental health/wellbeing and physical activity.

They approached us because they were thinking of having some sort of outdoor shelter or classroom for their forest school activities but on further reflection and thought, we have taken this a lot further to help this school meet the above criteria and put them in a good position to receive this grant funding.

We suggested one of our fire pit and cooking shelters  – this unit has a central fire pit and cooking unit which has a flue that goes all the way up to the roof so that it is entirely safe for a school environment. Children can therefore use this facility to cook their food on (and light fires which is all part of the forest schools programme) and thereby promoting healthy living. Also there is some quite considerable research which shows that cooking is very good for mental health issues and is used to relieve anxiety and stress.

The shelter itself is also a good place where children can have some “time out” and “break-out nurture” space on their own and with their teachers in a tranquil setting that is away from the main hub-bub of everyday school life.

And then we needed to address the physical activity issue and here we have a cunning plan! We can supply some special electricity producing bikes which the children have to pedal in order to create power (so physical activity box ticked!) but we have a smoothie making package too. The bikes are connected up to a smoothie blender machine so the faster they pedal, the quicker the smoothie gets made. And if their smoothies have fruit and lots of good things in there, we are also encouraging healthy living and eating.

If you would like to know how we can work alongside your school and think a little out of the box, then please contact the Hideout House Company on 01865 858982 or email: info@hideouthouse.com

4m x 4m open sided shelter with

 

Treehouse Outdoor Classroom

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treehouses for schools

Treehouse round a tree connecting to elevated treehouse

We have just completed a unique treehouse outdoor classroom for Marnel Infant School near Basingstoke. The school originally approached us looking for an outdoor classroom which they could use for their outdoor learning sessions. It had to be big enough to cater for a class of 30 and it had to be totally enclosed so that they could use it all year round. And it had to be interesting in order to fully engage the children!

The original discussions started off with us supplying one of our standard octagonal cedar clad outdoor classrooms which we were going to enclose with French doors and window upper panels and some additional eco options but it soon became obvious that the school had more adventurous plans.

By the main school entrance, there is an area which was suitable for what the school wanted to build – namely an enclosed outdoor classroom which is built around an existing tree in the middle which is then linked by a 10m long elevated walkway to a 5m treehouse elevated off the ground on stilts. This is also totally enclosed on all sides and has French doors to the front elevation so can easily be used all year round.

We have also supplied an additional “mud kitchen” for their forest schools activities which has opening and closing louvre panels on one side (which allows the building to easily adapt to the weather), barn doors to the front elevation and windows on the back to make use of the natural daylight and setting. Like the treehouse outdoor classroom, it is also manufactured out of premium grade cedar with a cedar shingle tile roof.

The school are already reporting that both the treehouse outdoor classroom and the mud kitchen are a great success with the children who love the fact that they can enjoy their outdoor learning in such a unique and special setting.

For further information, please contact the Hideout House Company on 01865 858982, email info@hideouthouse.com

Rectangular outdoor classroom with polycarbonate windows and louvre panels

Insulated all year round use outdoor classrooms and shelters

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modular classroom with larch cladding

We have taken the traditional open-sided, gazebo style outdoor classroom – in all its sizes and shapes including octagonal, square and rectangular – and adapted it for the many and varied uses that an educational establishment now demands. Typically due to the nature of the need or requirement, the building needs to be totally enclosed and in many cases fully insulated for all year round use.

Schools use these type of buildings for a whole host of reasons and in the past we have supplied them for the following:

  • Outdoor learning hub & classroom
  • Library
  • Temporary classroom
  • Sensory room
  • Meeting room
  • Community room
  • Nurture or break-out room
  • Prayer room
  • Quiet study room

The majority of outdoor classrooms that we supply to schools are below 30m2. And there is a reason for this and that is that they do not need to be passed through building control for approval so it is just makes the process a bit simpler and in some cases, cheaper. But that is not to say that the enclosed outdoor classrooms are not built to the exacting standards that building regs would require.

Dependent upon the use and application, it is also possible to fully insulate these buildings and we therefore have two levels of insulation packages to suit different needs, usage levels, budgets and most importantly whether a school intends to heat the building as well. But we also use either cedar or Siberian larch both externally – the roof is also attractive cedar shingle tiles. All timber is a natural insulator anyway but cedar has additional thermal properties which make it the best natural insulator of all softwoods – so its excellent thermal properties can make for some savings if the building is being heated. If it is not being heated however, then insulation still works in two ways – keeps out the heat in the summer and keeps in the heat in the winter!

There are many options to choose from in this range. Firstly the shape as they are available in octagonal, square and rectangular formats. As they are modular, it is very easy to have your own walls, windows and door configurations and specifications. Other options include double glazing, an attractive atrium roof to allow in lots of natural light from above, laminate flooring, the afore-mentioned insulation packages, internal partitioning, timber sub-frame base for uneven ground or grass installs and various eco initiatives such as renewable energy power and rainwater harvesting systems.

For buildings above 30m2, we are also able to offer these in a modular form and typically this size of outdoor classroom allows for WCs, a small lobby area and a kitchenette facility.

For more information on our outdoor classroom and modular school buildings range, please visit our website www.hideouthouse.com or contact us on 01865 858982 or email info@hideouthouse.com

 

Why We Use Cedar For Our Outdoor Classrooms

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A lot of our outdoor classrooms and school classroom buildings feature cedar as the principal default timber or as external cladding on our timber framed buildings. And there are some very good reasons for this from a school’s point of view & perspective. We list below some of cedar’s principal qualities and why it is of a benefit therefore within a school environment.

Western Red Cedar is a well accepted softwood timber from British Columbia in Canada, renowned for its beautiful appearance, its ability to last for many years without maintenance and its acoustical and warmth insulation properties. Slow growing and naturally durable, it is the product of choice amongst architects and recognised worldwide as being the ideal material for residential and commercial buildings. We buy cedar in container load quantities, direct from the sawmills of British Columbia, and as a result we are able to pass on to our customers the cost benefit of the savings that we can achieve.

Decay Resistance

One of its most well-known and valuable characteristics is its natural high resistance to decay. Cedar has its own built-in preservatives known as thujaplicins, which enable cedar to last for many years and under most conditions. Unlike most other softwoods, it requires no artificial treatment  such as tanalith and is therefore one of the most durable coniferous species.

This is the reason we are able to offer an extended 15 year guarantee against timber rot, decay and degradation on our cedar products.

Natural Insulator

Cedar has a low density value which not only makes it an easy wood to work with but also it massively enhances its natural insulation value. Timbers with a low density value typically have the highest insulation properties and values because the cavities within the wood fill with air – and air is one the best known thermal insulators. Timber is a natural insulator anyway (hence the reason why people in northern Scandinavia all live in log cabins for example!) but cedar stands out as being one of the best and is way better than brick, concrete or steel. So this means reduced running costs for a school. And remember insulation is there for two reasons – to keep in the heat and to keep out the heat so the building is kept cool during the hot summer months and warm when winter comes.

Stability

It has a very low shrinkage factor which means that it has a high resistance to warping, twisting and checking which can be found amongst other softwood timbers. And it has high acoustical properties which means it can dampen vibrations.

Minimal Maintenance

From the point of view of degradation or rot, no treatment is required. From the point of view of colour change, cedar, like all other timbers, reacts to strong direct sunlight. Either schools can leave it and within two or three years, the cedar will turn from being a brown/red colour to a more mature silver/grey. Alternatively, cedar oil will maintain the original colour for a while but this is purely an aesthetic choice to make. But for those schools wanting to preserve the cedar tint for a longer period of time, then we recommend the use of Sikkens Novatech wood treatment. All our buildings are treated with this preservative and it is recommended that it be re-applied every 4 years or so a simple and it is an inexpensive application.

Environmental

Cedar, like the majority of timbers, leaves a very small environmental footprint. It grows naturally and therefore produces less waste. It also uses less energy compared to other materials. And a major factor is that wood absorbs CO2 from the atmosphere thereby reducing the world’s carbon emissions.

For further details on the benefits of using cedar, please visit the website given below:

http://www.realcedar.com/why-real-cedar/

The Hideout House Company Ltd

Tel: 01865 858982 or email: info@hideouthouse.com

www.hideouthouse.com

A Unique Solution for a Temporary Mobile Classroom

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We were recently approached with an interesting enquiry from the head teacher of a primary school with a nursery provision. Basically they wanted…or needed…some extra space to be used for a whole host of reasons – namely break out sessions, nurture room, outdoor learning, extra space for the 2 year olds for the nursery and last but not least as a community room. But they didn’t need anything too big, it had to be insulated as they wanted to use it all year round, heating and lighting requirements and it had to have a WC/washbasin facility too as it would be used out of school hours.

Oh and one last item on the wish list, it had to be capable of easily being removed in a couple of years time as the school was potentially going to be relocated! Quite a challenging list I think you will agree.

But luckily we have the ideal solution. We have another division in our business which deals with the leisure market and one of our most popular products we sell is a mini lodge which is essentially a pre-manufactured unit and is used as guest sleeping accommodation and usually comes complete with an en-suite and kitchen area. As it is used for these purposes, it is fully insulated throughout and has an electrical pack which includes lighting, heating and power sockets. And it measures 7m x 3.6m which just happens to be the size the above school were interested in. And as it is built to conform to the definition of a caravan, it can easily be moved or removed at a later date.

So all we had to do was knock out the kitchen area and shower and bingo, the school had the ideal solution to their problem. The building is also clad in natural cedar and has an attractive cedar shingle tile roof which means that it is incredibly low maintenance and will last a long time.

And another huge advantage to the school is that, assuming a base is down with services already running out to site (electricity, water and foul drainage), you can be up and running within a week – as opposed to a traditional on-site build time of 3-4 weeks with the involvement of numerous tradesmen coming and going.

For further information, please contact the Hideout House Company on 01865 858982 or email: info@hideouthouse.com

www.hideouthouse.com

 

Planning Permission and Building Regs for Outdoor Classrooms

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We are constantly asked as to whether outdoor classrooms require planning permission and if they are also subject to building regulation approval. Always a tricky subject to have a 100% definitive answer but there are certain guidelines to work to. I will list these below:

Planning Permission – the majority of our outdoor classroom installations have been installed at schools without the need for planning permission as they fall under what is called Permitted Development Rights (PDR). And the below are the criteria for what constitutes permitted development:

By virtue of Part 7 Class M of the Town & Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 2015 the relevant provisions can be summarised as follows:-

The erection, extension or alteration of a school is permitted development provided that:-

(a) the cumulative gross floor space of any buildings erected, extended or altered would ​not ​exceed—

(i)25% of the gross floor space of the original school, college, university or hospital buildings; or

(ii)100 square metres,

whichever is the lesser;

(b) ​no ​part of the development would be within 5 metres of a boundary of the curtilage of the premises;

(c) ​no​ land used as a playing field at any time in the 5 years before the development commenced and remaining in this use​,​ could no longer be so usedas the result of the development​;

(d)the height of any new building erected would ​not ​exceed 5 metres;

(e)the height of the building as extended or altered would not​ exceed—

(i)if within 10 metres of a boundary of the curtilage of the premises, 5 metres; or

(ii)in all other cases, the height of the building being extended or altered;

(f)the development is not within the curtilage of a listed building;

But I do reiterate that we, as a company, are not planning consultants and we would always advise schools to check first with their local planning authority as to whether planning is required. A lot of planning authorities nowadays offer a “pre-app” service whereby you pay a nominal fee to the authority for their learned opinion before filing a full planning application.

Building Regulations – if an outdoor classroom building is less than 30m2, has no sleeping accommodation, is wholly detached from the main school building and is in excess of 1m from the boundary, then it is exempt from notification to the local authority. However, all good suppliers/manufacturers should follow the guidance in building regulations to ensure structural stability, adequate ventilation, safety glass is used where applicable, prevention from moisture ingress and a school should also ensure that the building is included in the school’s fire management plan.

For further information please contact the Hideout House Company on 01865 858982 or email: info@hideouthouse.com

www.hideouthouse.com

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